A hairdryer equipped with a negatively ionized air generator has been used as a hairdryer having the capability of not only expelling heated air for drying and setting hair but also carrying out hair treatment.
FIG. 6 is a schematic drawing of a conventional hairdryer of the above kind. An air passage (102) is formed in the interior of an attachment portion (300) of this hairdryer. The attachment portion (300) is attached to a substantially cylindrical main body portion (100). An air passage (111) is formed in the interior of the main body portion (100). An inlet opening (not shown) is formed through the main body portion (100) for intake of outside air. A plurality of air outlet openings (104) are formed through the attachment portion (300).
A fan (112), a motor (113), a heater, and an air ionizing device (106) for generation of negatively ionized air are disposed within the air passage (111) of the main body portion (100). The main body portion (100) itself forms a handle. A power supply switch is disposed at the exterior surface of the main body portion (100).
When the power switch of this hairdryer is operated, electric current flows to the motor (113), the heater, and the air ionizing device (106). Air taken in from the intake opening is blown by the fan (112) toward the attachment portion (300) through the air passage (111). Air which is taken in through the intake opening is heated by the heater. Then negatively ionized air generated by the air ionizing device (106) is intermixed with this heated air, and the resultant intermixed air containing negatively ionized air passes through the air passage (102) of the attachment portion (300) and is expelled from air outlet openings (104). Thus in addition to drying and setting of the hair, a negative ion treatment effect can also be imparted to the hair since heated air containing air which has been negatively charged in this manner is blown against the hair.
However, negative ions generated by the air ionizing device (106) within the main body portion (100) impart a negative charge in the passage up until expulsion from the air outlet openings (104) (i.e., walls of the air passage (111) of the main body portion (100) and the air passage (102) of the attachment portion (300), and components disposed within this passage) by attachment to wall surfaces, etc. or by attachment in the vicinity of the multiple air outlet openings formed in the attachment portion (300). Thus, this conventional hairdryer is deficient in that negative ions undergo an electrical repulsive force that makes it difficult for the negative ions to arrive at the air outlet openings (104). This greatly decreases the number of negative ions output from the air outlet openings (104).
In general, in one aspect, the present invention relates to a hairdryer that comprises a housing body which includes an air intake opening and an air outlet opening. The air outlet opening comprises a non-ionized air outlet opening and an ionized air outlet opening. The hairdryer includes a fan disposed within the housing body for introducing air into the housing body through the air intake opening and directing the air to the air outlet opening. An ionized air passage mechanism is formed within the housing body and is connected to the ionized air outlet opening. An air ionizing device is disposed within the ionized air passage mechanism for generating ionized air. The ionized air generated by the ionizing device is discharged from the ionized air opening and non-ionized air is discharged from the non-ionized air outlet opening such that both ionized air and non-ionized air are blown together from the air outlet opening of the hairdryer.
In general, in one aspect, the present invention also relates to a method for drying and treating hair. The method includes introducing air into a hairdryer, directing the air introduced into the hairdryer toward an ionized air passage mechanism formed in the hairdryer wherein an air ionizing device is disposed. The method further includes ionizing the air introduced into the ionized air passage mechanism by the air ionizing device, and expelling the air ionized by the air ionizing device through an ionized air opening of the hairdryer. The method further includes expelling the air not introduced into the ionized air passage mechanism through a non-ionized air opening of the hairdryer such that ionized air and non-ionized air are blown together to hair simultaneously.